Poolboy — Soda Kids

Guitarist Michael Loveland, bassist Sean Barker and drummer John Calvin are no strangers to the local scene, nor are they, apparently, strangers to good, old-fashioned rock ’n’ roll. The band’s debut EP, Soda Kids, clocks in at less than six minutes, with four capricious and impassioned tracks that mimic a bygone golden era of punk rock.

Its brevity is refreshing — if only a tease — because its infrastructure is muscular and robust enough to lug the snotty accessibility. A song like “Explode,” for instance, features a chunky, mid-tempo riff and a dubbed-over vocal effect, giving it a punchy anthemic quality that’s invigoratingly swift. Meanwhile, “Pushpop” is 45 seconds of drunken, melodious calamity.

For such a new act, Poolboy already knows how to engage listeners without overstaying their welcome — something countless acts fail to ever achieve. Soda Kids is underdeveloped and rough around the edges, but that’s part of the thrill. If nothing else, the EP could be likened to an excitable movie trailer, a glimpse into something you know is going to be good before seeing the entire thing.